The present application relates to an arrangement for securing objects to support structures, and more particularly to such an arrangement which is to be anchored in an anchoring hole of the support structure by being embedded in a body of hardenable cementing or other material.
In our copending patent application Ser. No. 631,153, we have disclosed a method of anchoring objects to a support structure and various arrangements which can be used in such a method. Basically, such arrangements each incorporate a sleeve-shaped or tubular anchoring member which has a closed, such as by squeezing, leading end and an open trailing end having an internal thread for threadingly receiving a screw securing the object to the anchoring member and, via the same to the support structure. The anchoring member has such dimensions as to be receivable in an anchoring hole with radial clearance therefrom, and a ring-shaped cap member surrounds the trailing end portion of the anchoring member in the assembled condition, and has such dimensions as to center the anchoring member in the anchoring hole and to sealingly close the open end of the clearance existing between the inner surface of the anchoring hole and the outer surface of the anchoring member. The anchoring element consisting of the anchoring member and of the cap member is provided with at least one aperture through which hardenable material can be introduced into the clearance existing in the anchoring hole after the introduction of the anchoring element thereinto, and the air present in the clearance prior to the commencement of the clearance-filling operation is allowed to escape from such clearance during the introduction of the hardenable material into such clearance through at least one small-sized opening also provided in the anchoring element. When the clearance is filled with the hardenable material and such material hardens about the anchoring member, forming a rigid body thereabout, the latter will securely anchor the anchoring element in the support structure.
In many applications, excellent results are obtained by using the above-discussed arrangements and approach. More particularly, the sealing closing of the open end of the clearance by the cap member, and the provision of the small-sized opening through which the air present in the clearance is permitted to escape therefrom during the clearance-filling operation, render it possible to completely fill the clearance with the hardenable material, under most circumstances, without the formation of any air pockets or air inclusions. By various expedients, also discussed in our above-mentioned copending application, it is possible to so adapt the arrangement that it can be used not only in generally horizontal anchoring holes, but also in anchoring holes which are generally vertical and whose open end faces downwardly. The small-sized opening, while permitting the air to escape, is so located that it is not reached by the viscous hardenable material until the clearance-filling operation is virtually completed, and has such a size that the viscous hardenable material cannot flow therethrough due to its viscosity and due to the surface tension.
As advantageous as these arrangements are, they still do not assure, under some circumstances, complete filling of the clearance, and more particularly, they do not offer any possibility of monitoring or supervising the progress of the clearance-filling operation.